Detox Tea 101 – Different Types, Benefits, Factors and more

Detox tea is a type of infusions that are popularly believed to help the body loss mass, burn fat, increase its metabolic rates; yet also cleansing the liver, clearing out the digestive tract and enhancing other mechanisms. Detox teas are pretty similar, yet difference strives in the fact that detox teas are far more marketed and distributed by companies, meanwhile, weight loss teas keep a more traditional and rudimentary appeal –anyone can make them.

However, both of them have been proved of increasing energy and cleanse the body of toxins, so here we bring you a list of the best of them:

Healthiest detox tea infusions

Oolong Tea

The famous Oolong tea, or «Wulong tea», is an ancient Chinese tea that masters made through a traditional process of oxidation, which could vary in intensity; and thus making for different types, recipes, and flavors of the same tea; depending on how much oxidation is implied by the makers –that can range between 10% and 80%.

Some people define this tea as a medium or mid road between green and black tea; as like its analogs, depending on the amount of oxidation it might vary out from greenish to dark or shady colors; and sweet and fruity flavors to robust and earthy.

However, is fair to say that this comparison is not so biased, as it arises from the fact that actually “Oolong tea” comes the Camellia Sinensis plant leaves, the same that is used to make green tea. These leaves contain a large number of natural ingredients and antioxidants that remove toxins from the body, speeds up metabolism, improves fat burning, and eliminate free radicals –a type of agents that increase the chances of suffering stress-related weight gain–, as many studies have shown.

But it doesn’t stop here. Many pieces of researches that have studied the effects of Oolong tea on the body have been even to verify their theories on this beverage benefits, and being one of them weight loss:

According to a research conducted by specialists Monthana Weerawatanakorn, Wei-LunHung, Min-Hsiung Pan, Shiming Li, Daxiang Li, Xiaochun Wan, and Chi-Tang Ho, issued on the December 2015 edition of the “Food Science and Human Wellness” journal (Volume 4), Oolong tea has been shown to reduce inhibit pancreatic lipase activity, thus decreasing fat absorption and increasing fat expulsion in waste lipids in the liver1.

Another study done by specialists of the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, in Beltsville, concluded that consuming Oolong tea during a three day period could make the body spend 2.9% more energy than water. This translates into 281 more calories on average burnt per day2. One more scientific research likewise showed that, on a test conducted on a group of 100 obese or overweight people that make them drank oolong tea every day over a six weeks periods, demonstrated that this intake, helped them reduce both their body weight and body fat, by increasing their metabolic rates3.

Dandelion Root Tea

Dandelion tea is a very famous infusion originated from India, yet widely used as a traditional treatment in alternative medicine practices for many illnesses and conditions, especially in Ayurvedic therapies –a theory of pseudo-medical methods also native from the country–, and Native American, customary Chinese, and traditional Arabic medicine.

Nonetheless, in the Western world has grown to be widely implemented too, most of the time, as a diuretic and to treat small digestive system issues. According to a meta-analysis issued by the Review of Diabetic Studies, effectively concluded that the dandelion plant causes heightened diuretic and laxative responses that, somehow like Oolong tea, catalyzed toxins expulsion from the body4.

This, reasonably, has a suitably worthy weight-loss effect. This way, this infusion can be a fitting element to integrate into a useful diet.

Rosehip Tea

Rosehip tea is a traditional infusion made from the rosehips of the rose blossom. Despite makers don’t select this infusion from the petals of the flower, the floral blend can be noticed in the form of a distinctive surrealistic color and candied flavor. It has been used as a natural remedy for centuries as well and makes for a gentle detox tea.

Nonetheless, possibly the best thing about this infusion is that it is naturally caffeine-free, something that is a lot of times not typical among weight loss and detox teas chemical compositions, so you can drink it all day without affecting your sleep cycle. As a very versatile tea, some modern methods even experiment mixing it with red berries to reach more flavoury hot beverages, with positive outcomes, while keeping the desired dietary benefits.

Milk Thistle Tea

Not to be mistaken with the White tea –which we will explain underneath–, Milk thistle tea is a herbal blend made from the seed pods of the thistle plant, a generally tall species of flower heads that blossom from late-spring to mid-fall; that die after seeding and thereby completing their life cycle.

It is usual to notice them while hiking, as they are high hill plants; and yet despite having a rather dangerous or poisonous appeal, it truly is a very reliable and healthy plant to clean the liver. As pointed out in a research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), on the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) study, it was found that hepatitis C patients who used silymarin –a herbal supplement used frequently to treat liver problems in the U.S.– had fewer and milder symptoms of liver disease, and appeared somewhat more alleviated, thus having better quality of life6.

Specialists have also discovered that milk thistle antioxidant activity helps to block toxins at the cell membrane and increased the synthesis of proteins. Like other detox teas, this one may help to get rid of the body’s toxins and prevent them from getting to our cells.

Black Tea

Like Oolong tea, this is an infusion derived from the Camellia Sinensis that has experienced more oxidation than other blends of the very same plant –like green, white or oolong teas.

Producers accomplish this chemical reaction when exposing the weed stalks to air for a long duration of time. This generates the fermentation process that proffers its distinguished dark and opaque color. Like with other standard weight loss teas, there are many different blends available that people, chefs, and nutritionists had come up with; like the famous Earl Grey –another detoxing infusion that we will present further– and English breakfast.

On the back up of this tea effectiveness, there are a lot of studies that have profoundly look through the weight loss properties that this infusion might have, and all the way the results have been mostly positive. One specific study conducted by specialists of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Oslo, Norway, found that drinking 3 cups of black tea every day for 3 months considerably increased mass loss and reduced waist circumference, compared to ingesting caffeine control beverages.

This has led some people to suggest that the reason behind Black tea weight loss be its noticeably high flavonoid composition. Flavones are a kind of natural pigment that has high antioxidant properties, which lead to significantly lower body mass indexes (BMI) than other low-flavonoid natural beverages.

Earl Grey Tea

Earl Grey Tea, as we have briefly appointed before, it’s a derivation from the standard black tea. An infusion of the Camellia Sinensis blended with the orange peel of bergamot oranges.

It’s an excellent detox tea with a kind-of breakfast-esque flavor, which comes from the citrus. Yet it also contains caffeine and an amino acid known as L-theanine that boosts energy levels, thus the reason for its popularity as a “happy” beverage spread all around the world.

This charged energy kick, come with a bunch of subsequent benefits that include mood improvement, stress relief, balanced cholesterol levels, and eliminating free radicals that could damage the immune system. According to a report published by the Cleveland Clinic, bergamot oranges’ peel may help cholesterol levels to improve, decrease sugar in the blood, and remove fat deposits in the liver. Following this line, a research outdone by the International Journal of Cardiology concluded that people taking little doses of bergamot extract for 30 days dropped their cholesterol levels from an average of 278 ml per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) to just 191 mg/dL, which was an unbelievable change in their health at the moment (2013).

White Tea

White tea is an infusion that sets aside from the rest of types of tea as is very fewer processed than them, and also because is harvested while the plant is still very young. It has a distinctive flavor too, as it’s very mild and gentle. Like some of its counterparts, it has proven to suppress appetite and accelerates metabolism –as a result of its high amounts of catechins–; and thus making the body lose weight and body fat fast7.

Many studies beverage has proven this tea to be widely beneficial for oral and overall health. As its main components –fluoride, tannins, catechins, polyphenols, and flavonoids– have shown themselves very effective in reducing caries, decreasing plaque growth, whitening the teeth8, and reducing risk of cancer in age-old traditional remedies9.

Another test conducted by the Department of Biological Sciences of Lehman College, NY, also stated that white tea extract proves a natural source to stimulate lipolysis activity and inhibit adipogenesis; which, in other words, translated to an increase in the breakdown of fat cells and prevent the formation of new ones10.

Puerh Tea

Also known as «Pu’er» or «Pu-erh» tea, this is a branch from the standard Chinese black tea, which has been fermented even more than black tea. This extra oxidation gives it an earthy aroma, which tends to grow and increase the older the tea and the longer it’s stored.

In one study conducted in 2014 by specialists of the Institute of Medicine of the Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, in Taiwan, 70 male patients with metabolic syndrome were given either a capsule of Puerh tea extract or a placebo, 3 times a day, for 3 months. Across the course of the research, those taking the Puerh tea extracts lost approximately 2.4 pounds (1.1 kg) more than those taking the placebo11.

Some studies on animals have shown that Puerh infusion may decrease blood sugar and blood triglycerides. Plus pieces of analysis in mammals, in general, have attested that Puerh tea may be able to help enhance weight loss.

One study issued by the Tea Research and Extension Station, in 2005 in Taiwan12, ratified by another piece of research of 2015 from the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the National Taiwan University13; had similar findings on the effects of Puerh extract on lipids decrease and lowered blood sugar on mice. Current research has been limited to Puerh tea extract, yet more research is desirable to experiment with the same effects to drinking it as a tea.

Blue Tea

The Blue tea is a kind of infusion that stems from the blossom of the butterfly pea flower, which provides its unreal indigo color. This beverage has similar health benefits as other types of tea, as it helps increase metabolic rates, stimulates lipolysis, and help fighting obesity, according to research published in International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders.

Green Tea

Last but not least, here comes perhaps the most popular infusion when it comes weight loss and detox infusions: the traditional Green tea –a champ when talking about health benefits.

A research made in 2008 by specialists of the Faculty of Medicine of Khon Kaen University, in Thailand examined these impressions. The development of the study showed that, after testing the effects of Green tea on a controlled trial involving 60 obese subjects drinking either green tea or placebo for 12 weeks, those who consumed green tea lost 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg) more weight than the placebo group14.

One more investigation made in 2013 by specialists of the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences of the University of Birmingham, in the UK, and printed in the American Society for Nutrition’s journal Advances in Nutrition, evidenced that Green tea had high rates of efficacy in fat oxidation; insulin activity, thermogenesis, and free radicals ejection from the body. Both at rest and during training15. Moreover, its unusually high concentration of epigallocatechin –a class of catechin– is known to naturally aid boosting your metabolism and increasing fat burning and body-weight regulation16.

On the same line, nutrition philosopher and entrepreneur, Isabel K. Smith, has remarked on reference to Green tea health benefits, that this beverage “contains many nutrients, including antioxidants and anti-cancer and brain-healthy compounds”; and venture to say that “all (type of) teas contain many healthful nutrients” without exceptions, which makes it “one of the healthier choices for a beverage (to consume)”.

These same effects happen with Matcha, a kind of highly-concentrated powdered green tea infusion. It has the same healthy components as Green tea but in a bigger quantity.